Raised in a motherless home, my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn’t soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met me, even in severe weather. If I grumbled, he’d say in his loudest father-voice, “That’s what your legs are for!”

    The walk didn’t bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn’t seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling was gone one spring evening.

    It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop, I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.

    A row of hedge（树篱）edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last part of my journey, I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening, the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge, moving toward the house. Upon closer observation, I realized it was the top of my father’s head. Then I knew, each time I’d come home, he had stood behind the hedge, watching, until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the tears. He did care, after all.

    On later visits, that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home, I would find my father sitting innocently(天真地) in his chair. “So! My son, it’s you!” he’d say, his face lengthening into pretended surprise.

    I replied, “Yes, Dad, it’s me. I’m home.”

1.What does the underlined word “grumbled” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

   A. accepted happily.          B. explained clearly.

   C.agreed willingly.            D. spoke unhappily.

2.What made the author feel upset at first was ______.

   A. the tiredness after long hours in labs

   B. the fear of seeing something moving

   C. the feeling of being less than valued

   D. the loneliness of riding the bus home

3.The author’s father watched behind the hedge because ______.

   A. he didn’t want to meet his son at the doorway

   B. he was concerned about his son’s safety

   C. he wanted to help his son build up courage

   D. he didn’t think his son was old enough to walk alone

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

   A. My Father’s Secret.        B.  My College Life.

   C. Terrible Journey Home.      D. Riding Bus Alone.

Wanted, Someone for a Kiss

    We’re looking for producers to join us in the second of London 100FM. You’ll work on the station’s music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss100.

Father Christmas

    We’re looking for a very special person preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.

    Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December17 to December24 except Sunday, 10:30—16:00

    Excellent pay.

    Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Center, Station Parade, Eastbourne.

Accountants Assistant

    When you join them in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This job is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.

    Wealden District Council.

Software Trainer

    If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make our decision, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV (简历) to Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.

5.Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?

   A.Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100.            B.Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.

   C.The Enterprise Shopping Centre           D.Wealden District Council.

6.We learn that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who _________.

 A.is aged between 24 and 40                B.may do some training work

 C.should deal with general duties          D.can work for about a month

7.Which job is open to recent school leavers?

 A.Producer,London Kiss.                    B.Father Christmas.

 C.Accountants Assistant                     D.Software Trainer

8.We can find this advertisement in ______.

   A.a text book                B.a newspaper     

   C.a magazine                D.an article

Thinking about the future isn’t special skill. Actually, everyone does it all the time. We schedule future activities and appointments on our calendars. We make to-do lists, a promise to ourselves of how we will spend our future time and energy. We look up the weekend’s weather. We make predictions about the results of sporting events. We practice, study and train for upcoming events that matter to us. We daydream about events we’re eagerly looking forward to. We worry about others.

Most of this common future thinking is about the near future: the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or maybe even the next few years of our lives. Little time is spent thinking about what our lives will be like or what actions we should prepare to take in the far future: ten years, twenty years, or even fifty years from now. This kind of far-future thinking is the domain of professional futurists.

Futurists are trained to imagine distant realities that seem impossible to others: technologies that don’t exist yet, great changes to laws, strange diseases most likely to infect us in the year 2031. Why indeed think about such remote futures? Are there psychological and social benefits to imagining the world, and our lives, decades in advance? And if so, what does it take to become good at imagining the far future?

These were the fascinating questions that we recently explored with other futurists. I was personally inspired by the discussions, and learned a lot about how futurists imagine the future of life. They specifically wanted to use their imaginations to make the world a better place. Another big benefit for me was that this way of thinking is a skill that can be taught. Society would benefit greatly if we all learned the valuable skills that enable us to think about what things would be like in the future.

9. The writer gives many examples in the first paragraph to      

    A. draw readers' attention        B. tell readers the main idea of the passage

C. entertain readers             D. explain the topic

10. The underlined word, "domain", in the second paragraph can be replaced by "  ".

A. understanding     B. field    C. choice      D. rule

11. Which of the following things might a futurist think about?

A. The result of sporting event being held.

B. The weather of the coming weekend.

C. A life-threatening disease that doesn't exist yet.

D. A new technology widely used in daily life.

12. What does the writer want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A. The way futurists imagine the future of life is interesting.

B. The idea of using imagination to make the world a better place is ridiculous.

C. It is impossible for us to think about future things as futurists.

D. Society will benefit a lot if we all train ourselves to think as a futurist.

    Five meteorologists(气象学家) who were trapped for two weeks after polar bears surrounded their weather station are now able to leave after the creatures were chased away. Their supervisor told NBC News early Wednesday.

    Russian officials had feared the siege(围困) could last for another month, the time it would take to reach the islands in the Kara Sea, high in the Arctic Circle. But on Tuesday night a research ship took a detour(绕道) to assist those weathermen, station supervisor Vasily Shevchenko told NBC News. The ship run by Russia’s state-run oil firm Rosneft frightened away the bears using its helicopter, before resupplying the weather station with more food and puppies(幼犬). The puppies are not yet big enough to deter the bears, but the station is planning to draft in a replacement adult guard dog as soon as possible.

    Some of the bears had taken to sleeping directly outside the windows of remote outpost. There was no risk of the researchers starving because they had a year’s worth of food, but they were forced to take dangerous trips to a nearby building, holding a gun for protection, according to Shevchenko.

    Polar bears are an endangered species. In Russia, it’s a crime to shoot them unless in self-defense. The bears usually leave the islands in the summer, but this time they were trapped by the melting ice, an apparent sign of climate change, according to Shevchenko. “They’ve stayed on the island because there is nowhere for them to go,” he said.

    The animals suffer from global warming because it shrinks the floating ice that forms their main hunting ground. According to the environmental group the World Wide Fund for Nature, known as the WWF, this has got some polar bears to go near human habitats in search of food.

13. What did the research ship do to help the five meteorologists?

A. Drive them home.

B. Shoot all the bears.

C. Use its helicopter to scare the bears away.

D. Supply the weather station with more money.

14. What made the bears trapped on the island according to the text?

A. Sea pollution.             B. Climate change.

C. Humans’ hunting.          D. Animal’s hunting.

15. What can we infer from the text?

A. People in Russia can hunt bear for money.

B. The melting ice will kill all the polar bears.

C. The five meteorologists hated the bears very much.

D. WWF made some contributions to protecting polar bears.

   Knowing how and when to say goodbye is often difficult, even in informal situations.  16    It will help you maintain your relationships and let people know you care. It's also easier than it seems sometimes. Read on to learn how to recognize opportunities and anticipate(预料) others' needs when you leave.

    Recognize when to leave. When you're at any kind of party or gathering, or even a one-on-one conversation, it can be difficult to get away. Learning to recognize good opportunities to leave will make a short-term goodbye much easier.   17    If more than half the people have left, it might be a good time to leave.

   18   Overstaying your welcome is rude, but it can often be difficult to distinguish. People don't like telling you that they'd like you to leave, so try to watch for signals. This may be some other family members starting to pack up or the fact that there is hardly anyone left.

    Make plans to see each other again. Even saying, "See you at school tomorrow," or "Can't wait to see you again at Christmas" keeps the goodbye light and focused forward. If you haven't already made plans, use it as an opportunity to make them.    19  

    Tell the truth. It can be tempting to come up with a "good excuse" when you're ready to leave. You don't need to.

     20  It doesn't need to be any more complicated than that.

A. Watch body language.

B. Leave when you want.

C. Notice if the crowd seems to be decreasing.

D. Even saying, "See you soon" suggests just that.

E. If you want to leave, just say, “I’ll be going. See you later.”

F. But learning to say goodbye appropriately is a must-have skill.

G. Don’t make plans with people you don’t really care about saying goodbye to.