Throughout my childhood, my father was extremely fat, and my family life was filled with finding new ways to lose weight. But on the weekends I spent with my grandmother, everything changed.   

Whenever I arrived at my grandmother' s house, she would run down her front porch stairs, saying, " My little beauty. " I heard her say " beauty" so often that I thought it was her name, so that's what I called her. The name stuck, and soon everyone in her small neighborhood knew my grandmother as Beauty.

I remember walking hand in hand along the shops on Devon Avenue in Chicago to get everything ready for our special Saturday dinner. Beauty was very popular in her neighborhood, which made me feel happy to be with her. It seemed that everyone loved my grandmother, from the baker to the butcher. The men at the fruit stand showed us what was in season and ripe, and the ladies at the beauty shop flattered my grandmother on her beautiful hats, telling her she looked exactly like Ruth Gordon.

Beauty was the perfect name for my grandmother. Everywhere she went, she made people smile. We walked along Devon Avenue, buying ingredients for our dinner. Beauty would tell me stories about my family. She talked abouther daughter, my mother, who hated to cook, and how my father would sometimes eat an entire pizza before going out to dinner because he worried that he would be hungry while waiting for his food to arrive at the restaurant.

My grandmother was always kind to me and was my biggest fan. Though my parents were very busy with their own lives, my grandmother and I would sit around the kitchen table cooking and talking about our feelings for hours.

Eventually my treasured weekends with my grandmother came to an end, when my father landed a job at an ad agency in New York City. But it turns out that the nine years I spent in Beauty's kitchen were enough for my lifetime.

51. Why did people in the neighborhood call the author's grandmother " Beauty" ?

A. Because they were confused about the author's grandmother's name.

B. Because the author's grandmother insisted that people call her Beauty.

C. Because they accepted the way the author called her grandmother.

D. Because the neighbors wanted to make the author pleased.

52. While the author went shopping with her grandma,_____.

A. she could make many friends      B. she shared the task with her

C. she had a talk with the shop owners    D. she felt very proud to stay with her

53. While spending the weekends with her grandma the author_____.

A. was able to lose some weight                   

B. was often made pleased by her grandma's neighbors

C. knew more about her parents             

D. wondered why her mother disliked cooking

54. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Love and Cooking in Beauty’s Kitchen    

B. A weight-losing Task for My Father

C. An Unforgettable Life with Grandma      

D. Grandma Enjoy Being Called Beauty

About ten men in every hundred suffer from color blindness in some way. Women are luckier，only about one in two hundred is affected in this matter. Perhaps，after all，it is safer to be driven by a woman.

There are different forms of color blindness. In some cases a man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red，orange and yellow are all shades of green. Sometimes a person cannot tell the difference between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man see everything in shades of green—a strange world indeed.

Color blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions of very small things called “cones”．These help us see in a bright day and tell the difference between colors. There are also millions of “rods”， but these are used for seeing when it is nearly dark. They show us shape but no color. Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes(蚊子) like blue but do not like yellow. A red light will not attract insects，but a blue lamp will. In a similar way human beings also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky. With the aid of the cones in our eyes we can see many beautiful colors by day，and with the aid of the rods we can see shapes at night. One day we may even learn more about the invisible colors around us.

60. This passage is mainly about ________.

A. color and its surprising effects          B. women being luckier than men

C. danger caused by color blindness          D. color blindness

61. According to the passage，with the help of the “cones”，we can ________.

A. tell different colors                     B. see in weak light

C. tell different shapes                     D. tell orange from yellow

62. Why do some people say it is safer to be driven by women?

A. Women are more careful.               B. There are fewer color­blind women.

C. Women are fonder of driving than men.     D. Women are weaker but quicker in thinking.

An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to (归因于) the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.

Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.

Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.

“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done,” he added.

University applications rose 7% last year, but there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector (部门), which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.

A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.

Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said:　“It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”

1. Professor John Beath’s lectures are　　　.　

A. given in a traditional way

B. connected with the present situation

C. open to both students and their parents

D. warmly received by economists

2. Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their　　　.　

A. greater stability　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　B. higher pay

C. fewer applications　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. better reputation

3. In the opinion of most parents, 　　　.　

A. economics should be the focus of school teaching

B. more students should be admitted to universities

C. the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened

D. children should solve financial problems themselves

4. According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters　　　.　

A. wiser in money management

B. have access to better equipment

C. confident about their future careers

D. get jobs in Child Trust Funds

5. What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Universities have received more applications.

B. Economics is attracting an increasing number of students.

C. College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.

D. Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.

Frederick Bailey was born around 1818 in Maryland. He was born a slave but later became one of America’s greatest leaders. His mother died when Frederick was about seven years old.

Frederick then lived with his grandparents, Betsey and Isaac Bailey. He said that his grandparents had a loving home and were respected by other slaves in the area. Because of this, he did not realize at first that someone owned him and the others.

In 1826, Frederick was sent to work for Hugh Auld, in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Auld’s wife, Sophia, treated him as if he were a member of her family. Mrs. Auld soon began to teach Frederick to read. Her husband became extremely angry and ordered her to stop immediately. Mr. Auld said if slaves could read they would rebel (造反) and run away.

In 1836, Frederick met and fell in love with a free black woman named Anna Murray. Murray had a job cleaning other people’s homes. She gave Frederick money to help him escape by getting on a train to New York City.

When Frederick Bailey reached New York he changed his name to Frederick Douglass to hide his identity from slave capturers (捕获者). Anna Murray joined him and they were married. They settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts and had five children.

In 1841, he attended the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society meeting in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Douglass was unexpectedly asked to give a speech to describe his experiences as a slave. Most of the supporters were white. The crowd praised him.

In 1844, Douglass began writing his life story. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was published the following year. He later published expanded versions of his book.

56. When living with his grandparents, Frederick didn’t realize he was a slave because ________.

    A. he had a very big family                     B. he was only about seven years old

    C. his grandparents didn’t work for the owner   D. other slaves showed respect to his grandparents

57. From the text, we can learn that Sophia was ________.

    A. social               B. kind             C. cruel            D. hard

58. Why did Frederick change his name when he reached New York?

    A. He was asked to give a speech.           B. He began writing his life story.

C. He wanted to marry Anna Murray.          D. He wanted to avoid being caught.

59. The text is developed mainly by ________.

A. giving examples                          B. making comparisons 

C. following the order of time                  D. following the order of space

Driving a car is not just handling controls and judging speed and distance.It requires you to predict what other road users will do and get ready to react to something unexpected.When alcohol is consumed，it enters your bloodstream and acts as a depresant (抑制药)，damaging eyesight，judgement and co­ordination (协调)，slowing down reaction time and greatly increasing the risk of accidents.Even below the drink driving limit，driving will be affected.

Alcohol may take a few minutes to be absorbed into the bloodstream and start action on the brain.Absorption rate is increased when drinking on an empty stomach or when consuming drinks mixed with fruit juice.To get rid of alcohol from the body is a very slow process and it is not possible to speed it up with any measures like taking a shower or having a cup of tea or coffee.

The present Road Traffic Ordinance states clearly that the limit of alcohol concentration is：

●50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood；or

●22 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath；or

●67 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of uriue (尿液)．

Drivers who cause traffic accidents，or who commit a moving traffic offence or are being suspected of drink driving will be tested.

Any driver found drinking beyond the limit will be charged.The driver declared guilty may be fined a maximum of HK $25,000 and be sentenced to up to 3 years in prison and punished for 10 driving­offence points；or temporarily banned from driving.

The same punishment applies to failing to provide speeimens(样本) for breath，blood or urine tests without good excuse.

Drink driving is a criminal offence.Be a responsible driver，think before you drink. For the safety of yourself and other road users，never drive after consuming alcohol.

1．The first paragraph is mainly about______.

A．the introductions of driving skills B．the damage of drinking to your body

C．the effect of drinking on driving   D．the process of alcohol being absorbed

2．The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “______”．

A．alcohol                             B．absorption

C．blood                               D．process

3．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Drinking below the drink driving limit has no effect on driving.

B．Alcohol is taken in more quickly when drunk with fruit juice.

C．Having a cup of tea helps to get rid of alcohol from the body.

D．50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of breath is below the drink driving limit.

4．A driver suspected of drink driving______.

A．should provide specimens for testing

B．will be forbidden to drive for 3 years

C．will be punished for 10 driving­offence points

D．should pay a maximum fine of HK$25,000