A heartbroken dog whose owner died two months ago is missing her so much that he attends services every day at the Italian church where her funeral was held, patiently waiting for her to return.

Tommy, a seven-year-old dog, belonged to Maria Lochi, 57, and had been her faithful partner after she adopted him when she found him in fields close to her home. Mrs. Lochi adopted several dogs she found but friends said she developed a close friendship with Tommy and would walk to church with him every day, where he would be allowed to sit patiently by her feet.

Father Panna said, “He’s there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved. He doesn’t make a sound, and I’ve not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been in. He used to come  with Maria and he was obviously devoted to her. I let him stay inside as he was always so well behaved and none of the other people ever complained to me. He’s still coming to Mass even after Maria’s funeral, he just sat there quietly. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out. I’ve just recently lost my own dog so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out.”

Tommy’s been adopted by everyone in the village now and he is everybody’s friend. Everyone looks out for him and leaves food for him, although it would be nice to find a proper home for him.

The story of Tommy is similar to the 2009 Hollywood film Hachi which told of how a faithful Akita dog waits patiently for his master after he also dies. It was based on the true story of a Japanese Akita called Hachi, whose owner died in 1925 but for the next nine years he waited patiently at the railway station for his owner from where they regularly caught a train.

21. The dog Tommy still goes to the church every day to ____________.

A. attend his owner’s funeral                     B. wait for Lochi to come back

C. stay together with Lochi                            D. celebrate Mass with Father Panna

22. According to the passage, Maris Lochi ____________.

A. is an old woman who likes dogs              B. is Father Panna’s wife

C. is the owner of the Italian church              D. is devoted to the Father Panna

23.What does the writer want to tell us by quoting what Father Panna said?

A. Why the dog can stay in the church every day.  

B. How the dog came to Mass with Maria.

C. What Father Panna usually does in the church.

D. Where Father Panna allows the dog to stay.

24. What is the best title for the passage?

A. A dog fond of Mass                          B. A faithful dog like Hachi

C. A Hollywood film Hachi                      D. Maria Lochi’s story

How cool can libraries be in an era(时代) of iPods and Kindles? More than you think. Only if you know where to go.

Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States

The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Prince-Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolati cat for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.

Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps(竖琴) in Ireland. Dating to the 15^th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol of Ireland.

Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States

At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors.

TU Delft Library: The Netherlands

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum. The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can’t really see the actual library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.

25. Which of the four libraries has the longest history?

A. Central Library                    B. Trinity College Library

C. Geisel Library                     D. TU Delft Library

26. What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that __________.

A. famous writers often deliver speeches there

B. it has a roof of a grassy hill

C. Queen Elizabeth I founded the library

D. it is the largest single library in the world

27. In Central Library, you can __________.

A. buy souvenirs                B. drink cocktails

C. enjoy sci-fi films               D. see the old harp

It does not have to be January 1^st to give yourself a chance to make the most out of your day. Every day is a new day and a fresh start to learn, grow, develop your strengths, free yourself from past regrets or hurts, and move forward older and wiser. Every day gives you chance to reinvent yourself. It is never too late to change things that are not working in your life.

Each day is a new beginning and a piece of blank paper. How would you like to create your day? If you wake up in a negative mind, you are more likely to paint a dark picture throughout the day, and your picture will not show hope, happiness and joy.

If you take each day to think actively, and have a positive intention for how you would like to create your day, how would your life different? What can daily positive intentions do for you? Every day you will give yourself the gift of an “attitude of gratitude”.

Each day is a chance to look at things in a different way. You can experience each day in the beauty of the world—and the beauty of you who is in it! You find yourself changing from “I can’t” to “I can”. With a focus on positive intentions, you feel you are full of power and more like a “winner” than a “loser”.

You pay more attention to the present, and will be more likely to live fully in the present each moment of each day. After all, the past is a great place to visit, but you don’t want to live there! So how about starting each day taking a moment to think of a positive intention for the day?

28. The first paragraph mainly tells us ____________.

A. we should make every day a new start

B. January 1^st is the most important day

C. learning is helpful in reinventing ourselves

D. we needn’t change ourselves at all

29. The underlined word “negative” in Paragraph 2 probably means ____________.

A. not clear         B. not wise           C. not happy        D. not careful

30. If you have daily positive intentions, you will ____________.

A. get a positive result                   B. have a busy life

C. get gifts from others                   D. be a complete loser

31. From the passage we can learn that ____________.

A. past regrets or hurts can make you older and wiser

B. think actively and you will be a winner, not a loser

C. the present is not where you should live for ever

D. positive intentions for each day are of great help

How the Grand Canyon (大峡谷) was created remains one of the geology’s greatest mysteries. Some evidence suggests that the process was a gradual one in which the Colorado River (which runs through the canyon) slowly cut deeper and deeper into the ground over millions of years. But volcanic rock samples taken from the canyon now suggest that the canyon was down-cut instead.

Down-cutting is when a flood of water rushes over a landscape (地形) with enough force to cut deeply into the ground and leaves behind a canyon. Such a flood is usually released when a natural or man-made dam (堤坝) bursts.

Robert Webb, a research geologist, says natural dams seem to have formed and broken across the Colorado River several times during the last million years. The dams were built when lava(熔岩) from the eruptions of nearby volcanoes flowed into the river. The lava hardened into hard rocks and blocked the river, causing it to back up and form a lake. Each time the lake grew so huge that it broke the rock dam, releasing a flash flood that furthered the down-cutting process and deepened the canyon.

Down-cutting is not just an earthly event. Satellite photos sent back from Mars suggest that the process has happened there, too, say many other researchers.

The photos, taken by the Mars Global Surveyor, indicate that an enormous lake existed on Mars 3.5 billion years ago. The lake spilled into a large nearby hole. One edge of the hole broke, releasing a flash flood that quickly carved out a grand canyon.

The existence of down-cutting on Mars is just one more piece of evidence that the cold, dry planet was once warm and wet.

32. In the past, deep canyons were believed to have formed _______.

 A. as a result of a sudden break of volcanoes      B. due to river flows over millions of years

 C. owing to the burst of artificial dams           D. thanks to our ancestors’ creative work

33. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TURE?

 A. Several volcanoes broke out on Mars directly creating grand canyons.

 B. Several great lakes existed on the upper parts of the Colorado River.

 C. People built high dams on the upper parts of the Colorado River.

 D. The Colorado River crossed the Grand Canyon to form down-cutting.

34. From the last three paragraphs we learn that _______.

 A. there are great lakes on Mars                   B. there are active volcanoes on Mars

 C. there might be cities on Mars                   D. there might be life on Mars

35. The passage can be titled as _______.

 A. Lakes on Earth and Mars                     B. The Cause of Lake Formation

 C. The Force of Dam Breaking                   D. Canyons—Results of Flood Cutting

How to Survive High School

High school can be a terrible phase if you get it all wrong. Find out how to survive high school with a few easy tips.

1. Be Yourself.

High school is a fun time to make new friends, meet new people, date and socialize. Make friends with all kinds of people and not just a group which you are comfortable with. Most peer pressure cases are because of the weak image created by freshmen.      36      Don’t give in to anyone’s wants.

2.      37    

Choose your friends carefully and make sure you won’t get influenced by anyone. Socialize, but by judging who you can connect to. You will find friends, but stay away from the ones who don’t want to be your friends as a bad company is tempting, but the good one is true.

3. Be Optimistic

____38____. There is nothing better than having a smile on your face whenever you can. Don’t be afraid to make friends, don’t get aggressive or personal with anyone and treat others the way you want to be treated. Respect your teachers and classmates and try to be helpful if you want the same in return.

4. Be Confident

When you believe in yourself, others believe in you. Talk, walk and address people confidently and this will create a strong image about you.      39      Be creative and unique and learn to set trends. Confidence is one quality you grow with, and people respect you for that.

5. Love High School

     40      Make the most out of it, and you will never get those moments back. Come up with prank ideas, get a detention, top your class, make the best friends, drink, go to prom, party, but just make as many memories as you can!

With these tips to survive high school, you will surely be proud of graduating as an all-round approaching adult carrying the best roots. So, when you throw those hats in the air, feel the freedom and remember every moment you spent in “High School”.

A.     And always wear your smile.

    B. Keep Good Company.

C. Just be yourself and create a strong self-image.

D. Practice positive thinking.

E. Do your thing, and don’t imitate others.

F. Fall in love with it.

G. Study as hard as you can in your spare time.