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 father­voice，"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 canceled 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 hedges(树篱)edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey，I always had a sense of relief to see the hedges because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening，the hedges had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedges，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 hedges，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 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."

21．What does the underlined word "grumbled" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

 A．Accepted happily.                  B．Explained clearly.

 C．Agreed willingly.                  D．Spoke unhappily.

22．What made the author feel upset 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

23．The author's father watched behind the hedges because _____.

 A．he was concerned about his son's safety

 B．he wanted to help his son build up courage

 C．he didn't want to meet his son at the doorway

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

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

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

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

    Many people in high school cannot wait to go to college and leave their hometown behind. Questions arise, though, when it comes to all of the decisions involved in choosing a college.

    One of the first considerations may be finance. State and public colleges are often the least expensive. Often, though, the better colleges are private and more expensive. It is sad when gifted students cannot attend a college of their choice just for financial reasons.

    Another major factor is location. Whether the college is in a small town or large city can have a major impact on its activities. A water lover probably will be more comfortable spending four years near an ocean or a lake. Those who cannot tolerate heat will probably be more comfortable at a northern college. Distance from home may also come into consideration. If family is a top priority, that person should stay close to home; on the other hand, if independence is desired, a campus farther from home would be more appropriate.

    School size also plays a major role in the decision process. If you want to get to know your teachers, a small college is suitable. For those of you who consider yourself a "people person" and want a wide range of activities, a large college is more fitting. Your area of interest is another factor to consider in the decision­making process if you want to get the most from your education. The whole point of college is to learn what is of interest to you.

    Crucially, one must first take into consideration the colleges by which you can realistically be accepted. An Ivy League school for an average student would probably not be a good match. Similarly, an average school for an above­average student would not work well. The college should provide enough of a challenge for the student to work hard. Although there may not be the perfect college out there, there probably will be one that is close. Those who cannot find a suitable college are probably not looking hard enough.

25．When it comes to going to college the author thinks ______．

 A．students will become homesick

 B．students are unwilling to leave their home

 C．economic situation is the first to consider

 D．students are eager to attend their ideal university　

26．What does the underlined part a "people person" in the passage mean?

 A．A very sociable person.            B．A very particular person.

 C．A person of great capacity.        D．A person of great importance.

27．Which is the most important factor when choosing a college？　

 A．The location of a college.         B．The coming challenges.

 C．School size.                       D．The examination result.

    They are most likely to be healthy, wealthy and wise, according to the old saying.

But those who are early to bed and early to rise do not always have the upper hand, researchers say. They have revealed that night owls are generally brighter and wealthier than those able to get up early in the morning.

    Experts from the University of Madrid carried out tests on around 1,000 teenagers and found that those who preferred to stay up late demonstrated the kind of intelligence associated with honored jobs and higher incomes. ‘Larks' or ‘morning people’, however, often acquired better exam results, possibly because lessons are held at the wrong time of day for night owls. The researchers examined the habits and body clocks of the youngsters to determine whether they liked to stay up late and sleep in later in the morning, or preferred to go to bed early and were at their peak in the morning. School performance and inductive (归纳的) intelligence, or problem solving, were measured and academic grades in the major subjects were also taken into account. The results showed that evening types scored higher than morning types on inductive reasoning, which has been shown to be a good estimate of general intelligence and a strong indicator of academic performance. They also had a greater capacity to think conceptually as well as analytically. Such abilities have been linked to innovative thinking, more admired occupations and better incomes.

    Famous night owls include President Obama, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Keith Richards and Elvis Presley. George W. Bush, who is regularly in bed by 10pm, Thomas Edison, Napoleon, Condoleezza Rice, who wakes at 4.30am, and Ernest Hemingway are among those known as larks. Jim Horne, professor of psychophysiology at Loughborough University, said: "Evening types tend to be the more active and creative types, like the poets, artists and inventors, while the morning types are the deducers (推断者), as are often seen with civil servants and accountants." A previous study of US Air Force recruits found evening types were much better at thinking laterally (横向) to solve problems than larks.

28. The following features belong to night owls except that _______.

 A. Night owls are much healthier, wealthier and wiser

 B. Night owls have a strong ability to reason logically

 C. Night owls stay up late and sleep later in the morning

 D. Night owls are expert in analyzing and innovative thinking

29. What's the author's attitude towards night owls?

 A. Skeptical.    B. Negative.        C. Subjective.      D. Objective.

30. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

 A. The early bird will catch the worm.

 B. Morning types have a tendency to do some creative jobs.

 C. Night owls usually do poorer in the examinations than larks.

 D. President Obama and George W. Bush are models of night owls.

    You  often  find  somebody  who  works  around  you complaining all the time, don't you？  31   About 70% of Americans say being around non­stop complainers sometimes has a bad influence on them. Luckily, here are 4 tips to help form positive patterns.

1．Self­awareness

    When a negative thought pops into your mind, immediately correct it. Instead of telling yourself "That's a nice shirt, but I can't afford it"， change the message to "That will look great with my black pants when I can afford it"．  32   

Of course, everyone complains sometimes. But the less frequently you complain, the better you will feel.

2．Distance yourself

      33   Excuse yourself and go somewhere quiet，somewhere outdoors in the fresh air. Think of something pleasant before returning. You have to take this seriously because negative people can and will pull you into the quicksand (难以摆脱的困境)．

3．Don't try to change complainers

    If you find yourself trapped in a group of complainers in a meeting or at a social event, simply choose silence. Let their words bounce off you while you think of  something else. Attempting to stop the complaining can make you a target.  34   If someone says, "I hate Mondays；weekends are too short，" try to think, " I'm glad I rested over the weekend, so I'm ready to make some improvement on that big project."

4．  35 

    When someone is shouting at you angrily，throw the responsibility back at them by asking, "So what do you intend to do about it？" In most cases, complainers don't really want a solution. They just want to speak them out. If you make them aware that they themselves have to find the solutions, they will leave you alone and find someone else to complain to. If so，you will be happy.

  A．Find solutions

  B．Change the responsibility

  C．You have got a lot of company.

  D．By doing this, it will lead to positive behavior.

  E．But you can redirect the discussion in your own mind.

  F．Whenever possible, escape from negative conversations.　

  G．You will never know what they are going to talk about.

    Years ago, I celebrated my 40th with a large group of friends at a restaurant. As I stood on the sidewalk with my friends, a homeless man approached me and asked for money. I told him that I didn’t have any cash. He quietly smiled (56)_______ me, and moved on.

    While (57)______ homeless man was still in earshot range, a friend who was just arriving called out, "Happy Birthday, Marc!" Upon (58)______ (hear) this, the man turned and asked, "Hey man, is it your Birthday?" "Yes, it is, " I said. He walked back to me, with a huge smile on his face, and said, ”Happy Birthday, man!”I was (59)______(complete) unprepared for what happened next: the man reached into his pocket, pulled out a dollar bill, and gave it to me, saying, "Here man! Take this, Happy Birthday!"

    Although I was deeply moved by this act of generosity, accepting money from a homeless man was not within my comfort zone, so my (60)______（respond）was, "Thanks! That's very nice of you, but that's OK. " The man looked directly into my eyes and said, "Please brother, please take this. I feel so good, (61)______ I always have a place (62)______(sleep) and enough food to eat." Finally, I reached out. He gave me the dollar, then held on for a moment and said," Thank you, brother!"

    Needless to say, that experience (63)______（leave）me feeling like I had gained far more than $1! This was one of my (64)______(great）life lessons showing that the essence（本质）of who we are is never defined by our human circumstances, and no matter (65)______ bad we may feel, we always have something of value to share with others.