I've been living in the country for more than 10 years.It means quietness,privacy,harmony and peace for me.Living in the country requires an active lifestyle.It involves activities like doing daily chores,preparing firewood for winter heating,feeding animals including pets and livestock,tending the garden,or securing fences,etc.For me,the most attractive activities are fishing,hunting and hiking.I enjoy seeing what nature has to offer everyday through a simple walk down the lttle trail,or a relaxing drive along the country road with patches of green grass ornamented with wildlife sightings of birds,moose,bears,deer,etc.Living the country life helps us appreciate some of the simpler things,things that make us feel good about ourselves and the world.It may be just a get together on a Saturday at the local farmers market,or a project or a problem that the community might pull together to help solve.I have participated in a few community projects,like dealing with out-of-control grass fires,a roof that collapsed from a large snow fall,or even helping a recent widow with fire wood for the winter.Sometimes I am surprised by how much benefit we receive from helping others and as for this community I can't say enough.Ireally enjoy living the country life.I know it's not for everyone,but I know it's for me.1.The author has lived in the countryside for more than a decade, and he/she loves living there.2.Living in the country is not busy at all.3.The author takes a walk or drives along country roads almost every day.4.People living in the country usually go shopping every Saturday.5.According to the author, nobody dislikes countryside life.

A.poured

B.was pouring

C.was poured

D.pouring

A.A. l' ve been traveling a lot . In fact. l' ve been to threedifferent cities in the past week!

B.B. No , we've been living here for four years.

C.C. We grew up on the same block , so we were pretty used to each other by the time we got marrie

. Then everything changed. During the Fourth of July weekend, residents woke up one morning to find that the lake had disappeared. Some people didn't believe what they were seeing. They looked again, but to their amazement they found they had been right the first time. The lake was simply no longer there. In its place was a big muddy hole, 30 feet deep. It was as if the lake had been a giant bathtub and someone had pulled the plug. The lake's owner, Joseph Unanue, did indeed pull the plug. That's exactly what happened. The dam that held back the water to form. the lake was falling apart, so government officials ordered him to repair it. They issued him a permit to lower the dam level "five feet or more."He did much more. Mr. Unanue found repairs to the dam would cost $100,000. He didn't want to spend that much, so he opened the dam and lowered the water level until the lake was completely emptied. People living above the dam ended up with no lake. People living below the dam ended up with tons of mud and lots of dead fish. Everyone involved was angry with Mr. Unanue. Area residents believed Mr. Unanue acted out of spite(恶意). They said he wanted to get back at them because the town wouldn't let him develop an amusement park on the lakeshore. When he couldn't build his park, he just went away and took his lake with him.(2)、The lake was compared to a bathtub because it could be emptied out. ()

y, harmony and peace for me.

Living in the country requires an active lifestyle. It involves activities like doing daily chores, preparing firewood for winter heating, feeding animals including pets and livestock, tending the garden, or securing fences, etc. For me, the most attractive activities are fishing, hunting and hiking. I enjoy seeing what nature has to offer everyday through a simple walk down the little trail, or a relaxing drive along the country road with patches of green grass ornamented with wildlife sightings of birds, moose, bears, deer, etc.

Living the country life helps us appreciate some of the simpler things, things that make us feel good about ourselves and the world. It may be just a get together on a Saturday at the local farmers market, or a project or a problem that the community might pull together to help solve. I have participated in a few community projects, like dealing with out-of-control grass fires, a roof that collapsed from a large snow fall, or even helping a recent widow with fire wood for the winter. Sometimes I am surprised by how much benefit we receive from helping others and as for this community I can’t say enough.

I really enjoy living the country life. I know it’s not for everyone, but I know it's for me.

1. The author has lived in the countryside for more than a decade, and he/she loves living there.{T; F}

2. Living in the country is not busy at all.{T; F}

3. The author takes a walk or drives along country roads almost every day.{T; F}

4. People living in the country usually go shopping every Saturday.{T; F}

5. According to the author, nobody dislikes countryside life.{T; F}

听力原文：W: What do you do for a living, Frank？

M: I am an aerospace engineer. I have been working for NASA for over fifteen years.

W: Wow, that sounds fascinating. What projects have you been involved in？

M: Well, until recently, I was heavily involved in the Cassini mission. I don't know if you're familiar with it or not. It's one of NASA's most expensive and ambitious projects. We are sending a probe to explore Saturn and its moons.

W: That sounds really interesting. Are you in any way involved in the construction of the international space station？

M: Actually, that's what I'm working on now. I'm currently a technical liaison between NASA and several European space agencies. It's an interesting job, but it can be a bit too much at times. The international space station is probably the largest international venture ever attempted, and I am constantly dealing with technical difficulties, budget problems, and delays. It's not easy coordinating the efforts of all those countries. I have been to Europe three times in the last month, and I have to go to Kazakhstan next week.

W: And I understand there's some controversy surrounding the space station. Don't some people worry that NASA is spending too much money on the project？

M: Many experts have complained that the project has grown out of control and become far too expensive. But I look at it as more than a space station; I believe it's helping to foster international scientific cooperation. It's nice to see the scientists of the world working together to create a stepping-stone to the future.

(20)

A．It plans to send a probe to explore the moon.

B．It's NASA's most expensive project so far.

C．It's an ambitious project.

D．It's involved in the construction of the American space station.

24 March

Dear Julie,

I'm sorry I haven't written for a while, but I've been busy at work and have spent almost all my spare time looking for a flat(公寓). I saw a really nice place this morning--a third floor flat with two bedrooms. I have been tired of living in this hotel.

I met a very nice Japanese couple(夫妇) the other night and they've asked me to spend a weekend with them at their house in the country. It'll be nice to get away from Tokyo for a few days. The only problem is that they don't speak much English, and my Japanese is still very poor.

By the way, I can't remember if I thanked you for the things you sent me. Believe me, they'll be really useful when I get a flat and start doing a bit of cooking for myself.

I'm afraid I'll have to finish now. Sorry it's a short letter but I've planned to go out with some friends. I'll write again at the end of the week. Until then, take care of yourself and give my love to Tim.

Love,

John

What does John do most of the time when he is not working？

A．He goes out with friends.

B．He takes Japanese lessons.

C．He looks for a place to live in.

The English author (writer), Richard Savage, was once living in London in great poverty. In order to earn (make) a little money he had written the story of his life, but not many copies of the book had been sold in the shop, and Savage was living from hand to mouth. As a result of his lack of food he became very ill, but after a time, because of the skill of the doctor who had looked after him, he got well again. After a week or two the doctor sent a bill to Savage for his visits, but poor Savage hadn't any money and couldn't pay it. The doctor waited for another month and sent the bill again. But still no money came. After several weeks he sent it to him again asking for his money. In the end he came to Savage's house and asked him for payment, saying to Savage, "You know you owe your life to me and I expected some gratitude (thankfulness) from you."

"I agree," said Savage, "that I owe my life to you, and to prove to you that I am not ungrateful for your work I will give my life to you." With these words he handed to him two copies entitle, THE LIFE OF RICHARD SAVES.

The best title for this text should be "______".

A．A Poor English Writer

B．A Skilled Doctor

C．A Life for a Life

D．The Life of Richard Savage

that you don't see, isn't it？ Many Americans spend money that isn't even there and get deeper and deeper in debt. Why do so many people spend more than they have？ "Buy now, pay later" has become an American way of life. Recently, American households spent nearly 11 billion dollars more than they earned, creating a negative saving rate.

There are two ideas—one, living within your means, and the idea that living on debt is a great equalizer(平衡装置). They both have validity because it is important that someone live within their means over their lifetime. When people are young and they are earning money, but they have very little savings, they almost have to borrow in order to own a house or own a car. But as they grow older, they should develop the habit of saving, so that by the time they reach the end of their earning life, they have savings to live on in retirement, and live within their means.

"Buy now, pay later" worked very well for us in the 1990s, but one suspects it won't work forever. The only thing that concerns me is that Americans are so contented, so optimistic, so unconcerned about any bumps in the road that many American households, not all of them, but many American households are very heavily extended in personal credit, a lot of credit card debt. People are paying very high prices for houses and borrowing heavily against those prices; and if we do run into a bump in the road, a recession, there are going to be a lot of households, not all of them, but many households that Ml be severely squeezed. That means we're more vulnerable to serious financial distress than Japan is. Japan has been in financial distress for ten years, but one reason it's been able to weather that is that the households had been very conservative, had a lot of savings, were very liquid, and were able to weather difficult times. And many American households would now be less able to do that because they are so heavily in debt.

We know from the passage that credit cards

A．make Americans get deeper and deeper in debt

B．are likely to be abandoned by more Americans

C．will soon become a symbol of American life

D．will help solve potential financial problems

re never going to get married. I mean, you've been through jail together, you're living together, but…, oh, forget it."

"Oh, well," I said," put it like that and I'll marry your daughter tomorrow."

Actually, I don't know what we were waiting for, except that for a guy it's never the right time to get married. I' m also suspicious of any two people who don't struggle with that decision. Part of my problem was that I was still lusting in my heart after other ladies. But somehow I knew that I wasn't going to find another woman remotely as great as my soon-to-be wife. It's a good thing my mother-in-law finally spoke up.

I finally gathered my courage one day when we were having a picnic, and popped the question. I also gave my wife a big tourist pamphlet about Switzerland. I wasn't taking any chances.

She said no.

It killed me. I felt sick to my stomach. I lost my appetite. Our dog just stared at me, thinking, "If you're not going to eat your lunch, I will." Finally, I said, "But the Switzerland trip is yours if you say yes."

"Switzerland , "she said, "is filled with precise, humorless people."

"Maybe I should have suggested Paris？"

For a minute it seemed as if my change in travel plans would rate a solid "maybe". But she said no again. When we woke up the next morning, she told me that she'd slept on my proposal. "I guess I was a little rude to you last night," she explained. Meanwhile, I'm figuring I'm off the hook for this marriage thing for at least another eight years. I could afford to be generous.

"I asked, you said no. It's okay," I said. I might have looked a little too relieved because later that day she gave me a little box. Inside was a gold watch. On the back was inscribed. "Yes. I've reconsidered."

I liked the watch, so I did the right thing.

The reason why the man had waited so long for his marriage was that he ______.

A．didn' t think eight years was long enough

B．suspected that husband and wife would often quarrel

C．didn't think he was ready to propose to her

D．was waiting for his mother-in-law's approval