SECTION B (18 marks)

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A. B. C. and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

We often think of forgiveness as something that someone who has done us wrong must ask of us. There’s always another way to look at it. My thoughts on forgiveness suggest you 36. ____ offering forgiveness to the person who has wronged you. Not forgiving them is like taking the poison (continuing to suffer from what they did or didn’t do to you) and 37.___ them to die!

Alexander Pope once said, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” 38.___ it!

Forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself. It isn’t something you do for someone else. It isn’t 39.____. It’s simple. Simply identify the situation to be forgiven and ask yourself: “Am I willing to waste my energy 40. ____ on this matter? ” if the answer is “No”, then that’s it! All is 41____.

Forgiveness is an act of the 42. ______. It dares you to imagine a better future, one based on the blessed possibility that your hurt won’t be the final word on the matter. It challenges you to 43. ___ your destructive thoughts about the situation and to believe in the possibility of a better future. It builds confidence that you can survive the 44._____ and grow from it.

Telling someone is a bonus! It isn’t 45. _____ for forgiveness to begin the process that heals the hurt. Forgiveness has little or nothing to do with another person 46. ____ forgiveness is a matter for yourself.

Choice is always 47. _____ in forgiveness. You don’t have to forgive and there is consequences. Refusing to forgive by holding on to the anger, resentment and a sense of betrayal can make your own life miserable. There is nothing so bad that cannot be forgiven. Nothing!

36. A. focus on   B. depend on   C. go on    D. insist on

37. A. forbidding  B. allowing  C. helping  D. expecting

38. A. Forget   B. Make   C. Remind  D. Believe

39. A. beneficial  B. practical  C. cruel   D. complex

40. A. further   B. quickly  C. instead   D. later

41. A. finished   B. limited  C. forgiven  D. discourage

42. A. delay   B. journey  C. imagination  D. adventure

43. A. give out   B. give up   C. give back   D. give away

44. A. pain   B. attack   C. love   D. war

45. A. immoral  B. difficult  C. necessary  D. rapid

46. A. once   B. because  C. unless   D. though

47. A. rich   B. present  C. vacant   D. temporary

SECTION C (12 marks)

Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.

As a local wedding planner, I have some advice for couples 48.___________ are planning a wedding.

Well, when couples are planning their weddings, they often get very focused on making things perfect. They want to have the perfect dress, the perfect cake, the perfect band, and so on. My advice is to stop focusing on those. Your wedding day is 49._________ celebration of love. The dress 50.__________ cake are not the important things.

As we know, the average wedding in this country costs over twenty thousand dollars. Here are some tips for people who want to save money. Fist, have your wedding at a 51. ___________   popular time. May through October are the most popular months to have weddings because   52. ___________ the weather. 53. ___________ an indoor wedding in November or February can be just as lovely. Prices will be much cheaper during these times. 54. ___________ tip is to make your guest list smaller. 55.___________ is impossible to have an inexpensive wedding if you invite hundreds of people. My last piece of advice is to be flexible about your flowers. Look for ones that are less expensive. Remember, the most important thing is to celebrate your love.

PART THREE:  READING COMPREHENSION (30 points)

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

Prague

Prague is an ancient European city, featuring one of the most magnificent Old Towns in Europe, along with delicious food, inexpensive shopping and friendly people. Prague is also famous as being home to one of the most famous 20th century writers, Franz Kafka. The famous Czech beer is also one of the reasons to visit Prague.

The narrow streets of the older parts of the town are appealing the visitors to take nice long walk and settle in some of the many restaurants, which offer top-quality foods at a low price. The buildings there are mostly tower-shaped, and so Prague is called “city of a hundred spires.”

Mauritius

Also known as the Paradise on Earth, Mauritius lies about 560 miles (900 km) east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is a place of magnificent natural beauty coupled with excellent customer service, which makes for an unforgettable romantic experience at the edge of the world’s warmest ocean.

There are lots to see and do in Mauritius: the coral reefs (珊瑚礁) surrounding the island offer stunning beauty and great underwater adventures to those who want to dive into the precious waters. The nature of Mauritius mostly resembles that of Paradise, allowing every couple visiting this island to feel like Adam and Eve. That is an experience nobody would want to miss!

Cyprus

The very name Cyprus, it has been said, glitters with an age-old myth. Today, history and hedonism (快乐论) are comfortably mixed on the island. Some five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer the convenience the modern traveler has come to expect.

Cyprus features a romantic history, as it was Anthony’s gift to his beloved Cleopatra during the glorious days of the Roman Empire. Maybe that is why you feel always a little special once you set foot on Cyprus.

For more information about many other most romantic places in the world, just log on athttp://www.jurgita.com.

56. The underlined word “spires” in Paragraph 2 means         .

A. narrow streets       B. inexpensive restaurants

C. top-quality foods       D. tower-shaped buildings

57. We learn from the text that Mauritius         .

A. is part of Madagascar      B. is an ideal destination for couples

C. is in central Indian Ocean     D. is most famous for its good service

58. What makes Cyprus different from the other two places?

A. It is located on an island.     B. It offers charming resorts.

C. It was given as a present.     D. It has a very long history.

59. A common feature of Mauritius and Cyprus is that they are         .

A. old         B. romantic

C. rich         D. mysterious

60. What is the main purpose of the author?

A. To attract more visitors.     B. To tell traveling experiences.

C. To sell information on line.      D. To introduce historical places.

B

Eleven-year-old Cammy Holmes was walking along the shores of Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia River with her elder sister and a friend. Wearing gloves to protect their hands, they filled garbage bags with everything from fishing line and dirty plastic bottles to old grocery bags. The girls and about 150 others were volunteering in the International Coastal Cleanup, an annual event that raises awareness of the importance of keeping the world’s waterways and oceans clean.

The cleanup was sponsored by an organization called the Ocean Conservancy that works to protect ocean animals and their homes. Unfortunately, a lot of trash never makes it into a trash can. It blows in the wind, and travels down streams and rivers to the sea. Trash isn’t just ugly — it can be dangerous for creatures that live in the water. Every year, plastic trash like old fishing gear, shopping bags, and food wrappers kills one million sea birds and 100,000 sea mammals and sea turtles. Sometimes these animals get tangled (绞在一起) up in garbage and die. Sometimes they eat trash that chokes or poisons them. Sea turtles, for example, mistake plastic bags for the jellyfish they love to eat.

At the Anacostia River, Cammy helped the volunteers pick up 2,380 pounds of trash in just a few hours along three miles of shoreline. “When you hear about a coastal cleanup all you think is that you have to pick up trash,” says Cammy. “But then you get there and find out it is actually fun! I like meeting all the other people and helping out the environment.” This one-day event tells us something to keep in mind the other 364 days of the year: that we are all connected to the ocean, and that you can help keep the ocean clean by putting trash in the right place. In the past 21 years, volunteers with the International Coastal Cleanup have cleared millions of pounds of litter from 211,460 miles of coastline worldwide. That distance is the equivalent(等同物) of going around the Earth eight times! In 2006, 358,617 volunteers cleaned 34,560 miles of shoreline, collecting 7 million tons of trash! In the 2007 cleanup, nearly half a million people in 70 countries joined.

61. The International Coastal Cleanup is _______.

A. a sponsor organization that helps coastal cleanup

B. an organization that works to clean up the ocean

C. a coastal cleanup event held every year

D. a large voluntary group engaged in cleaning up the ocean

62. What can be inferred from this passage?

A. Some people left fishing lines on the shore after fishing.

B. There were lots of groceries along the shore.

C. Trash traveled down streams and rivers into a trash can.

D. The wind was the cause of the sea trash.

63. How does the writer find the voluntary work?

A. It is a great success in saving sea creatures

B. It is fun for people to get together on the shore

C. It reminds people of the danger of coastal trash

D. It is a job to put trash in the right place

64. It can be seen from the passage that _______.

A. there are 150 participants in the International Coastal Cleanup

B. the trash may choke or poison creatures like sea turtles

C. the volunteers work on the shore for a whole year.

D. the trash the volunteers collect can go around the Earth eight times

65. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. People’s love for the ocean.

B. The sea pollution caused by trash.

C. People’s effort to protect the coastal environment.

D. The duty of the International Coastal Cleanup.

C

Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship. It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.