Dear Alcohol,
    You've been around forever. I can remember all the pain you've caused for me.
    Do you remember the night you almost took my father's life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He's addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn't the only one hurt by you that night.
    Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends were intrigued by you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. "I'm so embarrassed," they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit (呕吐). "I'm sorry," they said when I called taxis for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. "This won't happen again," they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you.
    Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn't realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it's all your fault.
    I wish you'd walk out of my life forever. I don't want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you've caused. Sure, you've made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you've caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring (引诱) in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please.
    Sincerely,
    Anonymous
21. What is author's purpose in writing to alcohol?
   A. To introduce Mr. Alcohol to the readers
   B. To describe the harm alcohol did to his family.
   C. To show how much alcohol can hurt people.
   D. To show the great fun that alcohol can bring to people's life.
22. The underlined phrase "were intrigued by" is closest in meaning to ______.
   A. were familiar with               B. were interested in
   C. were disappointed with           D. were satisfied with
23. What is the tone of the article?
   A. Critical.       B. Doubtful.      C. Unconcerned.      D. Humorous.
24. What is the main writing technique of the passage?
   A. Making something more noticeable than usual.
   B. Representing something in the form of a person.
   C. Describing something by listing its harmfulness.
   D. Comparing one thing with another to make his point clear.

Designs on Cashmere(山羊绒)

     Come and visit the cashmere specialists. See the usual and the unusual in cashmere.

Shop in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere – no pressure to buy. Custom-made (定做的) sweater

service available. Mail order catalogue too.

     28 High Street, Royal Mile, Edinburgh

     Tel: 031 556 6394

Rock Sensations

     A rock shop of a different kind on the Grassmarket. Rock Sensations specializes in some interesting things related to rock' n' roll, catching the spirit of the 50s and 60s. The shop’s centerpiece is a fully operational antique Seeburg jukebox ( 自动唱片点唱机), stocked with

old Beatles and Elvis 45s.

     Open Mon-Sat 9:30 am-5:30 pm & Sun 11:30 am-4:30 pm

     108 West Bow, Edinburgh

     Tel: 031 225 7710

The Castle Books

     This family business founded in 1980 has a large selection of Scottish art, children's, travel, natural history, literature and many other subjects. Rare and second-hand books bought

and sold.

     Open Mon-Sat 12 noon-5 pm

     204 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8 DQ

     Tel: 031 556 0624

Scottish Countrywear

     Scottish Countrywear is just a stone’s throw from the Castle. There’s a superb range of top quality Scottish design in wool and cashmere. We also stock a huge range of outdoor wear.

     514 Castlehill, Edinburgh

     Tel: 031 226 5323

Edinburgh Woollen Mill

     Just below the famous Edinburgh Castle, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill offers traditional

Scottish knitwear (针织品) and clothes of high quality direct from our own mills. Also a large

selection of Scottish food and gifts in a range of tartans (彩色格呢). Natural value

guaranteed!

     453-455 Lawnmarket. Edinburgh, EH 1 2NT

     Tel: 031 225 1525

25. Designs on Cashmere allows customers to         .

    A. buy sweaters designed and made for them

    B. design sweaters themselves

    C. learn how to produce sweaters

    D. dress according to ancient custom

26. In which shop can customers not only buy but also sell things?

    A. Rock Sensations.               B. The Castle Books.

    C. Scottish Countrywear.           D. Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

27. If you want to buy something to eat in Edinburgh, you can dial        .

    A. 031 556 6394   B. 031 225 7710    C. 031 226 5323    D. 031 225 1525

I was desperately nervous about becoming car-free. But eight months ago our car was hit by a passing vehicle and it was destroyed. No problem, I thought: we’ll buy another. But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan (贷款) we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as £600 a month.

And that’s when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes’ walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby. If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family.

But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being “too poor to afford a car”? (I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)

My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital? (an ambulance) How would the children get to and from their many events? (buses and trains) People smiled as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure I’d soon realize that a car was a necessity.

Eight months on, I wonder whether we’ll ever own a car again. The idea that you “have to” own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.

28. The author decided to live a car-free life partly because ______.

A. most families chose to go car-free          B. he was hurt in a terrible car accident

C. the cost of a new car was too much         D. the traffic jam was unbearable for him

29. What is the attitude of the author’s family toward his plan?

A. Supportive.      B. Disapproving.        C. Optimistic.      D. Unconcerned.

30. What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends’ opinion?

A. Argue against it.  B. Take their advice.     C. Think it over.    D. Leave it alone.

31. What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?

   A. Life cannot go without a car.              B. Life without a car is a little bit hard. 

   C. His life gets improved without a car.        D. A car-free life does not suit everyone.      

     Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen is a story of fear and hope, loneliness and friendship. Ade and his mother live right at the top of a tower block. It can get a bit lonely up there, but Ade

loves to spend hours sitting at the window watching the whole city unfold down below.

    Things are pretty quiet in the flat since his mother fell ill. She has stopped cooking meals and doing the housework and singing the songs she always used to sing. In fact, these days she hardly gets out of bed. Ade doesn’t know what to do, so he watches the world outside. But suddenly that starts to change.

     One day, one of the other tower blocks crashes to the ground and Ade watches the disorder with disbelief. Have some of his school friends died in the disaster? Is his best friend Gaia still alive? Then another building falls down and then another. The world around Ade's  tower block is disintegrating under his very eyes.

     And then huge plants start to spring up and grow at an alarming rate. Where have they come from? It looks like the plants are pulling the buildings down and they are preventing the

emergency services from helping people.

    Is this only happening in the area where Ade lives? The residents (居民) are deserting the tower blocks, and soon Ade is stuck in his flat because he can't leave his mother. Who or what can rescue him?

     Ho-Yen has written a thrilling story with Boy In The Tower, but the most successful part is the narrative (叙述的) voice of the boy at the centre of the story. He doesn't understand what is going on around him and this adds a fascinating dimension to the plot that moves the novel along.

     Taking place in an urban environment that many of the novel's readers will immediately identify with, Ho-Yen's first novel is an interesting read about an ordinary boy facing a tough struggle to survive.

32. What do we know about Ade?

    A. He lives in a noisy tower block.

    B. He tries to help his mother recover.

    C. He often helps his mother with housework.

    D. He likes seeing the world outside through the window.

33. What does the underlined word "disintegrating" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

    A. Showing up.   B. Breaking up.     C. Moving away.       D. Coming back.

34. The plants mentioned in the book are       .

    A. poisonous     B. delicate         C. violent             D. beautiful

35. It can be inferred that Boy In The Tower is          .

    A. a personal diary                  B. a detective story

    C. a science textbook                D. a science-fiction novel

Everybody gets angry, but out-of-control anger isn't good for you or those around you. So 

here are five simple strategies to help you learn how to manage your anger:

• Relax. Breathe deeply, from your stomach.

  36   Repeat it to yourself and visualize a relaxing time and experience.
• Change the way you think. When you're angry, your thinking can get exaggerated (夸大

的).   37   For instance, instead of telling yourself, “Oh, it's terrible! Everything's ruined,” tell yourself, “It's understandable that I'm upset about it, but it's not the end of the world.”

•   38    Statements like “This never works.” or “You're always forgetting things.” will make you feel your anger is justified (情有可原的) and there's no way to solve the problem. 

They might upset people who might be willing to work with you on a solution.

• Have a better communication. Angry people tend to jump to conclusions. If you are in a 

heated discussion, slow down.   39    And take your time before answering. Instead of saying the first thing that comes into your head, think carefully about what you want to say.

• Use humor. Psychologists say that highly angry people tend to think “things ought to go my way!” “Silly humor” can help you get a more balanced perspective. So, when you feel that anger coming the next time, picture yourself as a king or queen, walking around, admired by everybody, and getting your own way in every situation. The more detail you can get into your

imaginary scenes, the more likely it is to put a smile on your face.    40      

A.​Try replacing these thoughts with more reasonable ones.

B.​Listen carefully to what the other person is saying.

C.​Be careful with words like “never” or “always”.

D.​Avoid using these strategies when you're in a tense situation.

E.​Try changing the topics so your talks won't turn into arguments.

F.​Then slowly repeat a calm word or phrase such as “take it easy”.

G.​That will help you realize that the things you're angry about are really not very important.