Christmas was two days away. Had the packages with a camera in already been placed under the Christmas tree? That was the only thing that I had longed for. A million times I had kept dropping hints to my parents. Taking photos is my favorite. My bedroom walls are covered with photos I had taken with my mom’s old camera. I’m always trying to snap(抓拍) those wonderful moments in which you can hear the laughter or touch the beautiful scene, but my camera has always seemed to fall short.

I knew Mom had put a few presents under the tree this morning, so I went on a hunt in my mom’s room. I opened the door and found my Christmas present was lying unwrapped on the floor --- a big pink cat. My heart sank.

Mom seemed to notice that, and she tried to cheer me up. “Jenny, I got your present today. I am so excited to surprise you!” “I can’t wait,” I said.

The next day I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to tell her.

“Mom, may I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure, dear. What do you need to talk about?” she asked.

And so it came ---how upset I was that I was getting a cat! 

“Jenny, that cat is for your sister Julia!” she said with a smile.

“Then what am I getting” I asked.

She just smiled. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

Next morning, I happily got into the living room and sat next to the tree. I pulled out the box with my name on it and opened the wrapping paper to find …

My camera! “Thank you!” I said to both Dad and Mom.

Dad picked up the camera and took a picture of Julia, Mom and me. It has become one of my favorite pictures. Just on that Christmas morning, I took lots of photos with my camera --- my little sister making a face, my parents giving me a soft smile --- and all of these photos have come to mean one thing to me: love.

21.The underlined phrase “fall short” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.

A. be too expensive                                   B. be not good enough  

C. become short after falling                     D. drop to the ground

22.Why did Jenny’s heart sink at first?

A. Her mother refused to talk to her.           B. She mistook her sister’s Christmas gift for hers.

C. Her present was not well wrapped.        D. Her mother forgot to buy her any Christmas gift.

23.We can learn form the passage that ________.

A. Jenny was happy to accept the pink cat

B. Jenny’s mother bought her a camera after discovering her disappointment

C. Jenny thought it was OK to have an old camera

D. Jenny’s mother knew what she wanted as a Christmas gift

24.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Love can not be bought                         B. Love is more important than gifts

C. A Christmas wish that came true           D. My Mother is always in my heart

We appreciate your interest in giving animals a hand! While helping others, volunteering gives you a way to learn, have fun and give back to your community (社区). There are many ways to care for the animals at PAWS.
     Youth Work Party
     If you are ten years or older, you can join the Youth Work Party Team with a parent to work on
different projects around PAWS in Lynnwood, WA. For example, you can build boxes for frightened, injured wildlife to hide in. Ask your parent to sign up to join a work party. If you are eighteen years or older, you can join the Youth Work Party Team independently.
     PAWSwalk
     PAWSwalk is our biggest fundraising (筹款) event of the year, held at the end of the summer to raise money to care for the animals. You can collect money with the help of your family, friends and school, and then walk in the event.
     Cookie Sale
     Selling homemade dog cookies is a wonderful way to help the animals. PAWS can provide brochures(小册子)to give out when you sell the cookies prepared by you and your parents, so people can learn about PAWS at the same time. You can find homemade dog cookie cooking instructions on the Internet or by checking out cookbooks for dogs at the library.
     Movie Night
     Invite friends, family, neighbors and classmates to watch your favorite animal movie, like Babe or Charlotte's Web. Ask them to bring an "entrance fee" of donations or supplies for the animals.
     Thanks again for your interest in PAWS and helping animals. Share your ideas with your parents and invite a few friends to join you in helping make a difference for animals. If you have any questions, call 425-787-2500-261.

25. Who is the advertisement meant for?

A. Young people who want to help animals.         B. Animal owners who need help.
C. Parents who have small animal lovers.            D. Those who work for PAWS.

26. If a child wants to take part in Cookie Sale, he/she needs to _____.

A. sell cookbooks for dogs                                B. sell cookies made by PAWS     
C. offer brochures about cookies                       D. cook and sell dog cookies

27. What is Charlotte's Web? 

A. A TV series about animals.                                   B. An animal movie.
C. An organization helping animals.                    D. A fundraising website.

28. It can be inferred that PAWS might be _____.

A. a skill training program for youths                  B. a series of cookbooks for dogs
C. an animal protection organization                   D. a community center for grownups

The United States Department of Agriculture has a program called Wildlife Services. Its job is to help protect agricultural and other resources from threats and damage by wildlife. Often that means helping farmers deal with unwelcome visitors.

One example from Wildlife Services of its work concerned a farmer in Washington State, in the Pacific Northwest. Several years ago, thousands of Canada geese landed on his fields. The geese began to eat his carrot crop.

Biologists from the program suggested that the farmer use noise-making devices and other measures to scare the large birds away. These efforts succeeded.

Wildlife Services also has a livestock(家禽) protection program. The agency kills foxes, wolves and other predators(食肉动物). Some people, however, who are against it, say too many animals are killed that do not do harm to livestock.

The Wildlife Services program is part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS offers some suggestions of ways to keep away predators.

For example, try to keep food and water safe from wildlife. Fences may help keep out wolves, especially if the fences are at least two meters high. For best results, the bottom of the fence should extend(延伸到) about fifteen centimeters into the ground.

The experts also suggest using lights above places where animals are kept. And they advise people who see wolves around their property to chase them away by shouting, making loud noises or throwing rocks.

For home gardeners, a two-meter fence might help keep out deer. To keep out rabbits, a wire fence has to be only about a half-meter high. It should extend over fifteen centimeters underground to keep rabbits from digging under it.

29.Which of the following is Wildlife Services expected to do according to the passage?

A. To protect wildlife that is in danger.               B. To help farmers deal with unwelcome wildlife.

C. To help farmers whose families are poor  D. To kill unwelcome wildlife

30.Why is the farmer mentioned in the second paragraph?

A. To show how Wildlife Services was set up.  B. To show what serious trouble farmers are in.

C. To show what Wildlife Services does       D. To show how harmful Canada geese are. 

31.Why are some people against the livestock protection program?

A. Because too many harmless animals are also killed.

B. Because too much noises are made.

C. Because it costs too much money.

D. Because they don’t think it successful in protecting the livestock.

32.Which of the following ways is not suggested if wolves are seen?

A. Making loud noises   B. Throwing rocks       C. Shouting           D. Firing at them

People often ask why I live in Germany and I never really know what to say because the reason I came is not the reason I stay. I came because I received some money from the Fulbright Association to do the research I could have done in the USA. I stay because my husband loves his job designing solar thermal(热量的) power plants, a job he can’t have in the USA.

There’re other reasons I stay, too. Like a paid vacation for at least 28 days each year, plus 14 holidays, plus unlimited sick days. Or the government-given health insurance. Though not perfect, this health insurance does wonderful things like paying for sending “mother’s helpers” to homes with newborns for at least eight hours a week. Though I don’t have kids yet, I really like this idea. Even better, I could stay home for up to three years with each newborn I have without fear of losing my job. I could be paid 60% of my salary for staying home that first year and my husband and I could both have 14 weeks of 100% paid leave first year.

These working conditions are so important to me that I don’t mind paying higher taxes than I would in the USA. To me, quality of living is so much more important than money.

I love that I can live here without owning a car. That I have a bike lane(车道) just for me on every road and through every park in the city.

I’ll be honest. If my country offered me some of those, I’d be back home at once. But nowhere is perfect and as I grow older, I’m learning that much of life is a give-and-take. Right now, Germany’s giving my husband a really nice job that could help change how we get our energy. And we’re taking every chance to enjoy the European standard of living.

33.What do we know about the writer?

A. She came to Germany to find a job.                      B. She is a new mother.

C. She designs solar thermal power plants.         D. She loves her husband very much.

34.Which of the following statements about Germany is NOT TRUE?

A. Taxes are lower than those in the USA.

B. It is very convenient to travel by bike.

C. A person can have a paid vacation for at least 28 days every year.

D. The government provides health insurance for people.

35.If there are a couple with a newborn, what can they both enjoy in Germany?

A. Being paid for employing a babysitter.            B. A fully paid leave for 14 weeks first year.

C. Staying at home, fully paid for three years.     D. No fear of hosing their jobs in three years.

In my thirty years as a Time Management speaker, I have observed a lot of what we can and should not do to increase our daily results. 36. ____________________ In fact, a lot of our Time Management has to do more with what we are not doing rather than what we are doing. Sometimes our mistakes will keep us from running at a full pace.

37. ____________________ We all should avoid them to help us increase our daily success, in less time and with less stress.

1. Start your day without a plan of action. Without a plan, you will have worked hard but may not have done enough of right things. Time Management is not doing the wrong things quicker. 38. ____________________ Time Management is doing the right things.

2. Work with a messy desk or work area. Studies have shown that the person who works with a messy desk spends, on average, one and a half hours per day looking for things. 39. ____________________ If you have ever visited the office of a top manager, you will find that person is working with a clean desk environment.

3. Don’t take a lunch break. Many do not take a lunch break, working through that time period in the hope that it will give them more time to produce results. Studies have shown it may work just the opposite. 40. ____________________ So a lunch break, even a short fifteen-minute break, gives us a chance to get our batteries all charged up again.

A. Here are some Time Management mistakes we often make

B. In fact, after doing what we do for several hours, we start to feel tired and bored out.

C. Time management is not necessarily working harder, but rather smarter.

D. That’s seven and a half hours per week.

E. However, many people don’t think so.

F. They feel happy that they have finished so much work. 

G. That just gets us nowhere faster.