My parents and two older brothers arrived in Queens from Cuba in 1967, squeezing into a one-bedroom apartment that got even more crampedwhen I showed up two years later. Suspicious of everyone and unable to communicate in English, my parents weren’t about to let their kids hang out in the streets. And since they both worked, we boys spent a lot of time at home.

The main public library on Merrick Boulevard was the first place I was allowed to visit on my own. I started going there when I was eight. Everything I needing was located on what seemed to me an endless single floor. Wandering around that building aimlessly on a Saturday afternoon offered a sense of freedom I’d never experienced before.

Once my father dropped me off, it didn’t really matter what I did so long as I could explore. I find it interesting that people today say that libraries are no longer about books; they weren’t really about books for me back in the 1970s, either. It was more about being around other people who looked like they were being productive-turning pages, making copies, patiently waiting for items. All this was attractive to me.

I felt a certain level of dignity and self-respect at the library. I didn’t borrow books from the library despite spending practically every Saturday of my childhood there. I certainly went over hundreds and hundreds of them during my walks around the building- sports, politics and the solar system were my favorite sections.     

But I felt no great need to bring books home. We had no room for books in our apartment anyway. I felt like a poor kid when I read books at home. I felt like everyone else when I read books at the library.

21. The underlined word “cramped” in Paragraph I probably means “________”.

A. dangerous    B. shabby    C. messy    D. crowded

22. What did the author appreciate most about the library?

A. The atmosphere it provides.    B. The books he could explore.

C. The productive people in it.    D. The seemingly endless floor.

23. The author didn’t borrow books from the library because ________.

A. he had finished reading all the books he preferred

B. he felt like reading at the library to enjoy freedom

C. he didn’t want to lose his dignity and self-respect

D. he was too poor to afford the cost of borrowing books

24. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. How a Public Library Set Me Free

B. Culture Shock Is Never a Barrier

C. My Aimless and Boring Childhood

D. A Building Shaped a Nation’s Spirit

Alexis, 17, sat quietly in the passenger seat of her dad's car. She let her eyes lazily scan the landscape for wildlife. Then a deer came into view about 200 yards in front of them. "Dad, there's a deer there!" Alexis said. It was a male deer with sharp antlers (角) on each side of its head.

As the car moved closer, Alexissaw that the deer's head was bent toward the ground. Then she heard a scream and saw an arm fly up near the deer's head. Alexis realized the deer was attacking a woman.Sue, a 44-year-old mother, had been out for her morning run. The deer followed her and edged closer. "I knew I was in trouble," Sue says. She went to pick up a stick for self-defense, and the deer charged. It lifted her with its antlers and threw her into the air. Sue could feel blood flew down her leg.Within seconds, the deer had pushed her off the road.

When Alexis and her father pulled up, the deer was throwing Sue like a doll. Alexis looked into the woman's terrified eyes,and before her father had even stopped the car, the teenager jumped quickly out of the car and ran toward the deer. "I was kicking it to get its attention," she says. Then her father,who had followed his daughter, pushed the deer away from the women.

Alexis helped Sue into the car,and then applied a piece of cloth to Sue's injured leg. "We're going to get you to a hospital," Alexis said. Then she heard her father shout loudly. He had been knocked to the ground. Alexis took hold of a hammer from the car and ran to where her father lay on his back. She beat the deer's head and neck, but the blows didn't scareit away. "I was losing faith," she says. "A couple more strikes, Alexis," said her father. "You can do it."

Turning the hammer around, Alexis closed her eyes and beat the deer's neck with all her strength. When she opened her eyes, the deer was running away.

Alexis got in the driver's seat and sped toward the nearest hospital. After Sue was treated, she tearfully thanked her rescuers. "You expect a teenage girl to get on the phone and call for help," she says, "not to beat up a deer."

25.What was Sue doing when she was attacked by the deer?

A .She was driving home.

B. She was resting on the road.

C. She was taking exercise.

D. She was feeding wild animals.

26. What did Alexis do to save Sue?

A. She pushed the deer away.

B. She hit the deer with her feet

C. She drove the car to hit the deer.

D. She beat the deer with a hammer.

27. Which of the following words can best describe Alexis?

A. Strong.            B. Cruel.              C. Energetic.            D. Brave.

28. What is the best title for the passage?

A. A Woman Was Seriously Injured

B. A Dangerous Deer Attacked a Woman

C. A Girl Rescued Her Father Successfully

D. A Teenager Saved Others from a Deer Attack

 With all the snow and bitter cold we’ve had this winter, it’s hard to imagine jumping into a large body of water. But not far away, there are plenty of warm places where you can not only splash and swim.

29. What do the four places have in common according to the passage?

   A. They own the largest reef systems.

   B. They are good diving spots in winter.   

   C. They all provide you with shipwrecks.

   D. They are all difficult to reach.

30. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. If you want to go to Plunge the Depths of Palau, you can take a flight from Vietnam.

B. Snorkel the Philippines is disliked by the world because of its location.

C. Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire is the only place where you can see corals.

D. Greg Deaver is the coolest one among the four places.

31. It can be learned from the passage that ______________.

   A. Cozumel is a small country in the Atlantic       

   B. Cozumel is famous for the town San Miguel
   C. Cozumel is a close neighbor to Mexico        

   D. Cozumel is located in North America

WASHINGTON—Thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a survey. But another contrary trend has educators and policy makers abuzz: a rush by schools in all parts of America to offer instructions in Chinese. Some schools are paying for Chinese classes on their own,but hundreds are getting some help. The Chinese government is sending teachers from China to schools all over the world—and paying part of their salaries. No one keeps an exact count, but rough calculations based on the government's survey suggest that perhaps 1,600 American public and private schools are teaching Chinese, up from 300 or so a decade ago. And the number is growing exponentially（成倍地）. "It's really changing the language education landscape of this country," said Nancy C.Rhodes,director at the center. Other indicators point to the same trend." The number of students taking the Advanced Placement test in Chinese, introduced in 2007,has grown so fast that it is likely to pass German this year as the third most-tested A.P.language, after Spanish and French", said Trevor Packer, vice president at the College Board. "We've all been surprised that in such a short time Chinese would grow to surpass A.P.German,"Mr.Packer said.

 A decade ago,most of the schools with Chinese programs were on the East and West Coasts.But in recent years, many schools have started Chinese programs in heartland states,including Ohio and Illinois in the Midwest,Texas and Georgia in the South,and Colorado and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West. America has had the study of a foreign language grow before,only to see the bubble burst.Many schools began teaching Japanese in the 1980s,after Japan emerged as an economic rival.But thousands have dropped the language, the survey found.Japanese is not the only language that has declined.Thousands of schools that offered French, German or Russian have stopped teaching those languages,too,the survey found.

32.What's the meaning of the underlined word "abuzz" in the first paragraph?

A. Be noisy like the sound of a bee.                     

B. Be lively for various activities.

C. Cause people to discuss something hotly.              

D. Motivate people to march bravely.

33.What can we infer from what Mr.Packer said?

A. More and more people choose Chinese in A.P.test.         

B. A.P.test is the most difficult one in the world.

C. Chinese is more important than Spanish and French.             

D. Chinese is a necessary subject in most important tests.

34.What can we know from the last two paragraphs?

A. Many schools started Chinese programs in the Midwest ten years ago.

B. Chinese programs have been started in more areas in America recently.

C. American schools have stopped teaching French, German and Russian.

D. People are gradually fond of learning Chinese and Japanese in recent years.

35.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Chinese is being learned as an official language in America.

B. Foreign Languages fade in American schools except Chinese.

C. Teaching Chinese in foreign countries has become a trend.

D. Foreign languages are no longer being taught in America.

More and more people are working remotely. Here are some tips to keep in mind to stay focused on your work when working at home:

Set and keep regular office hours.

       __36   Then try your best to leave work at the “office” and turn your phone on silent and enjoy the rest of your day. Give yourself some time to recharge so you can be as productive as possible.

Plan and structure your work days.

       Structure your work days to maximize（取最大值） efficiency. Take advantage of your body’s natural rhythms.   37   If you know you focus best in the morning, resist the temptation to check email until 10 a.m.  or later.

Set aside a designated(指定的) work area.

       Try to work at the same spot every day.   38   And make it a place you enjoy going to each day, an area where you can focus and do your best work.

Take breaks.

       Schedule time for frequent breaks throughout the day. Rise from your desk, stretch or walk around the house or down the street.   39   If you need a little socializing, go out to lunch with friends or clients.

Avoid distractions (干扰).

       One challenge of working at home is distraction. With no colleagues or partners nearby, it’s easy to become distracted. Stay focused on work throughout the day to maintain consistent productivity.   40   

A. It could be a spare bedroom that you’ve turned into a home office.

B. Plan your work around your most productive hours.

C. Do your best to set work hours and stick to them.

D. Take a lunch break and enjoy a midday meal.

E. It is more comfortable to stay at home.

F. Some interruptions can’t be avoided.

G. Avoid online distractions as well.