The orderly came back in a few minutes with a rifle（步枪）and some Burmans（缅甸人）. He told us that the elephant was in the rice fields below, only a few hundred yards away. As I started forward practically the whole population of the quarter flocked out of the houses and followed me. They had seen the rifle and were all shouting excitedly that I was going to shoot the elephant. It was fun to them, as it would be to an English crowd; besides, they wanted the meat. It made me a little uneasy. I had no intention of shooting the elephant—I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself—and it is always uneasy to have a crowd following you. I marched down the hill, looking and feeling a fool, with the rifle over my shoulder and an ever-growing army of people knocking and pushing at my heels. Beyond the huts（小木屋）there was a rice field a thousand yards across, muddy from the first rains. The elephant was standing eight yards from the road. He took not the slightest notice of the crowd. He was tearing up bunches of grass, beating them against his knees to clean them and feeding them into his mouth.

As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant — it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery. There, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow. I thought then and I think now that his attack of “must” was already passing off; in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about. Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot him.

But at that moment I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me. It was a huge crowd, two thousand at least and growing every minute. I looked at the sea of the faces above the colorful clothes—faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot. They were watching me as they would watch a magician about to perform a trick. They did not like me. But with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward. And it was at this moment that I first felt the hollowness（空洞）, the uselessness of the white man's control in the East. Here was I, standing in front of the unarmed crowds—seemingly the leading actor; but in reality only a puppet (傀儡). I understood in this moment that when the white man turns ruler of complete power it is his own freedom that he destroys.

21. The people were glad to think the elephant was to be shot mainly because ______.

A.it had damaged their homes and crops       B.it would provide them with meat

C.it would make them feel entertained        D.it was spoiling their rice fields

22. When the writer saw the elephant he felt_____________.       .

A.foolish B.afraid       C.pitiful             D.confident

23. The writer realized that he had to shoot the elephant because___________.

A. shooting elephants is a serious problem     B. everybody expected it of him

C. he did not wish to disappoint the rulers      D. he had to show how guns are fired

24. What does the writer intend to tells us when he tells the story?

A. Leading actors are sometimes foolish puppets.

B. Governments for white people are useless.

C. Power can sometimes turn people imprisoned (监禁).

D. Unarmed crowds are in control of everything.

CONGRATULATIONS

We’ve organized the following information to help you prepare for your arrival at Boston College. Please feel free to contact our Admissions Office at any time over the coming months with any questions.

Your First Steps…

Please return the Acknowledgment Form sent with your acceptance letter to Dean Robert Howe, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, McGuinn Hall 221,140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.

■For Ph. D. Acceptances and Master’s Acceptances with funding, we ask you to reply by April 25, 2008.

■For Master’s Acceptances without funding and Non-degree Acceptances, we ask you to reply by May 31, 2008.

■You should also contact your department to receive any department information.

Over the Coming Months…

Get informed about services around campus. We have provided links for you to the following offices.

■Student Services

After you return your Acknowledgment Form, you should receive a letter containing your BC Username and Eagle ID number. With this information you can reach email and Agora. In Agora, BC’s online community, you can update your student information, check your student account, and register for classes.

The Office of Student Services issues (发行) your BC Eagle One Card. This ID card acts as your campus library card and meal card.

Student Services’ website offers a complete listing of courses for the school year, as well as student forms and other important student information. The Office of Student Services also handles billing.

■Housing …

CLICK HERE for more information.

If we can be of any more help to you, just contact us. Congratulations again! We look forward to you joining our University!

25. The above page can most probably be read _________.

A. on the Boston College website       B. in the Boston College newspaper

C. on BC Eagle One Card         D. at Student Services

26. The information above is particularly useful for those ________.

A. who want to apply for Boston College

B. who want to know about Boston College

C. who’ve been admitted to Boston College

D. who’ve decided to pay a visit to Boston College

27. If you want to study for your master’s degree with funding, you will have to _______.

A. return your Acknowledgment Form by May 31, 2008

B. send back your Acknowledgment Form by April 25, 2008

C. email your Acknowledgment Form to Admissions Office by May 31, 2008

D. return your Acknowledgment Form to Student Services by April 25, 2008

Conversation begins almost the moment we come into contact with another and continues throughout the day with the aid of cell phones and computers. However, we are so often absorbed in conversation that we lose sight of its true purpose and value.

One important aspect of a good conversation is the words used to express thoughts and feelings. We are full of deep thoughts and strong emotions, yet our vocabularies are not enough for this expression, and many make little effort to expand that. Perhaps you see a movie that touches you deeply, yet you have the following conversation: “So, what did you think of the film?” “Oh, my God, it was so sad. I swear, I went through using up a box of tissues. I was in tears.”This dialogue is hardly an effective way of expressing feelings. It gives no sign of how or why the movie truly affected you. Such commonly-used phrases are certainly not enough to describe a deeply moving experience. However, not only must you try to avoid overused words, you must also be careful in your selection. The purpose of expanding vocabulary is not to use the largest or most impressive words, but to find those best suited.

What is lacking in many conversations is the ability to talk to another rather than just talking with that person. A thoughtful person will find that even in the most ordinary of conversations, there are a thousand questions waiting to be asked if you have courage and a desire for change, in order to seek out the person behind the mask. Good conversations should not be made up of nonsense, but of a meeting of two sharing the human condition. It should bring a purer understanding of others and offer a release of emotions more than drive away unpleasant thoughts or kill time. If we want,we can reach beyond the superficiality（肤浅）of talking into the vast kingdom of wisdom.

28. The author used a movie as an example to show that ____________.

A. overused words can’t fully express feelings of a speaker

B. how and why a moving movie can deeply affect a speaker

C. only expanding vocabulary can describe moving experiences

D. the largest or most impressive words should he used by speakers

29. “Seek out the person behind the mask” in the last paragraph means___________.

A. remove the mask of others                B. distrust the others’ appearance

C. feel doubtful about the others              D. get the hidden truth beyond words

30. According to the author, a good conversation is ___________             .

A. a way to free the unpleasant or pass time        B. a desire to raise more questions

C. an exchange of emotions and experiences    D. a route to the kingdom of wisdom

31. The best title of the passage could be ___________.

A. Vocabulary in Conversations    B. Art of Conversations

C. Ability in Conversations       D. Importance of Conversations

Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let the children learn from experiences at an early age when financial mistakes are not very costly.

The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance.

In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance.

The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving.Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs like clothing or electronics. Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life.

Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.

Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it.

Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. You have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.

A savings account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest.

Compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up.

32. Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT_______.

A. how much the child should get each time  B. whether the child has made a budget

C. where the money really goes            D. how often a child can get it

33. The author of the passage holds the opinion that________.

A. what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future

B. children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances

C. keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children

D. it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home

34. The underlined words “compound interest” in the passage probably means ________.

A. increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money

B. stronger power to hold one’s attention to saving money

C. money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it

D. the sum of money that you earn from keeping your money in the bank

35. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Be Generous to Pay Your Children.

B. Be Wise to Avoid Financial Mistakes.

C.Saving Allowances Does Good to Children.

D.Allowances Help Children Learn about Money. 

Have you heard about Leap year? Leap year is a year that has 366 days instead of the usual 365. It normally occurs every four years, always on an even-numbered year. The extra day is added to our shortest month. That is the second month of the year, which in non-leap years has 28 days, two fewer than any other month. 36  

We also call Leap year the bissextile year (闰年). 37    In our calendar system there is a need for a leap year because the solar year (the time it takes the earth to go around the sun once）is actually slightly more than 365 days long. That extra day—Feb 29 every four years—helps correct the difference between our calendar and the solar calendar.

It is said that Leap year was first made part of the calendar by the ancient Roman leader Julius Caesar. His astronomers had calculated the length of the solar year to be 365 days and six hours. So Caesar declared that an extra day be added to the calendar.38  

    However, Caesar’s adjustment was not completely accurate because his astronomers’ year exceeded the true solar year by eleven minutes and fourteen seconds. By 1582, a difference of ten days had developed between the calendar year and the true solar year. To correct this error, Pope Gregory XIII ruled that every fourth year would continue to be a leap year except for century years that could not be divided evenly by 400. By this system, century years such as 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but the year 2000 was a leap year.  39  

People born on Feb 29 celebrate their growing up a little differently from the rest of us.

40    But if they go strictly by the calendar, they have only one-fourth as many birthday celebrations as most people.

A. They acknowledge that they get older each year.

B. When you see Feb 29 on a calendar, you know that year is a leap year.

C. This is its formal, or scientific title.

D. This may seem complicated, but it works.

E. This is done every four years.

F. The leap year was introduced in the Julian calendar in 46 BC.

G. In a leap year, the extra day is added to the second month, giving it 29 instead of the usual 28 days