Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction (拍卖). I named him Cowboy.?

Cowboy was without doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason.?

I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers (窃笑) about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.?

When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse was judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.?

One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.?

The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena (赛马场). We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.?

All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.?

My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.?

As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!?

I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it.

61. Why was the writer not confident of victory?

A. He was an inexperienced rider.

B. He had not practiced enough.

C. He believed he was unpopular with the crowd.

D. He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others.

62. When the final race finished, nobody cheered because ________.

A. the audience didn’t like Cowboy  B. people envied the writer?

C. the win was unexpected   D. the writer had run out of time

63. The underlined expression “shown the gate” (paragraph 4) most probably means

“________”.

A. told how to enter the arena?

B. shown how to make the horse beautiful?

C. removed from the competition early?

D. told to enter the timed-speed events?

64. What did the writer learn from his experience?

A. Life can sometimes be unfair.

B. Anything is possible if one tries hard enough.

C. A positive attitude will bring success.

D. One should not make judgments based on appearance.

65. The best title for the story is ________.

A. A Race to Remember     B. A Horse’s Tale

C. Neck and Neck            D. A Difficult Age ?

C

Every year students flock to the college bookstore to purchase the different textbooks that they need for their classes. Little do these students realize that, in doing so, they are throwing good money away. It may sound unbelievable but textbooks, in some cases, actually cost as much as, if not more, than college fees.

Many people think that college bookstores are the most convenient source for textbooks. Titles are usually in-stock and students may purchase new textbooks or choose to buy second-hand books and save money. But the money saved by purchasing second-hand textbooks from college bookstores is small compared to the amount they could save by shopping online.

More and more online booksellers have begun selling textbooks at heavily discounted prices. Online second-hand bookstores are another source for college books as they stock a large number of textbooks, which means sizable savings for students. Students should avoid purchasing their textbooks at the first store that they browse online since there are so many ‘virtual’ booksellers on the Net. Price isn’t the only factor to consider when making an online purchase. Students should also consider shipping costs and delivery time when making their decision.

Online auctions are another option for students seeking a bargain. This option, however, has its pros and cons. A plus is that students can get incredibly cheap books. One problem is that while online bookstores have a system in place to make sure that you receive your order within a reasonable amount of time, with an auction purchase, however, you must depend on the auction seller’s timetable.

One way that students can really save is by getting books for free. Project Gutenberg is one resource that English majors will find invaluable. Here students can legally download a huge collection of classic novels. In the past students needing help with their studies would often have to spend a lot of money buying expensive study guides. Today that is no longer the case. Students without enough money can now visit the website Spark Notes for free downloadable study guides as well as classics.

66. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. Learning to save on Textbooks.  B. Why Buy Textbooks.

C. Online Shopping.     D. Tips for Buying Secondhand Textbooks.

67. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a source to obtain textbooks?

A. College bookstores.    B. Online used bookstores.

C. Online auctions.     D. Secondhand bookstore centers.

68. The underlined expression ‘pros and cons’ (paragraph 4) is closest in meaning to ________.

A. professionals and conservatives  B. good and bad points

C. joy and sadness     D. processes and conditions

69. According to the passage, Project Gutenberg is probably _______.

A. a government project aimed at helping English majors

B. a project to help poor students get free learning materials

C. a website for English majors to get the guides from language experts

D. a website for students to get free sources for English learning

70. From the passage, we can learn that ________.

A. the cost of textbooks in college is low compared to the amount spent on tuition

B. online auctions are perfect for students seeking text books

C. students should visit many websites before buying their books

D. students should consider shopping costs and delivery time above all else when making their buying decision.

第二节 信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分，满分10分)