2. Gifts of the magi After Jesus was born in Bethl...

A week after our daughter Lauren was born, my wife Bonnie and I were completely exhausted. Each night Lauren kept waking us. Bonnie had been torn in the delivery and was taking painkillers. She could barely walk. After five days of staying home to help, I went back to work. She seemed to be getting better.

While I was away she ran out of pain pills. Instead of calling me at the office, she asked one of my brothers, who was visiting, to purchase more. My brother, however, did not return with the pills. Consequently, she spent the whole day in pain, taking care of a newborn.

I had no idea that her day had been so awful. When I returned home she was very upset. I misinterpreted the cause of her distress and thought she was blaming me.

She said, "I've been in pain all day... I ran out of pills. I've been stranded in bed and nobody cares!" I said defensively, "Why didn't you call me?"

She said, "I asked your brother, but he forgot! I've been waiting for him to return all day. What am I supposed to do? I can barely walk. I feel so deserted!"

At this point I exploded. My fuse was also very short that day. I was angry that she hadn't called me. I was furious that she was blaming me when I didn't even know she was in pain. After exchanging a few harsh words, I headed for the door. I was fired, irritable, and had heard enough. We had both reached our limits. Then something started to happen that would change my life.

Bonnie said, "Stop, please don't leave. This is when I need you the most. Please listen to me." I stopped for a moment to listen.

This incident with Bonnie revealed to me how I could change this pattern.

She said, "John Gray, you're a fair-weather friend! As long as I'm sweet, loving Bonnie you are here for me, but as soon as I'm not, you walk right out of that door."

Then she paused, and her eyes filled up with tears. As her tone shifted she said, "Right now I'm in pain. I have nothing to give; this is when I need you the most. Please, come over here and hold me. I just need to feel your arms around me. Please don't go."

I walked over and silently held her. She wept in my arms. She told me that she just needed to feel me holding her.

At that moment I started to realize the real meaning of love, unconditional love. I had always thought of myself as a loving person. But she was right. I had been a fair-weather friend. As long as she was happy and nice, I loved back. But if she was unhappy or upset, I would feel blamed and then argue or distance myself.

That day, for the first time, I didn't leave her. I stayed, and it felt great. I succeeded in giving to her when she really needed me. This felt like real love. Caring for another person. Trusting in our love. Being there at her hour of need.

How had I missed this? She just needed me to go over and hold her. Another woman would have instinctively known what Bonnie needed. But as a man, I didn't know that touching, holding, and listening were so important to her. By recognizing these differences I began to learn a new way of relating to my wife. I would have never believed we could resolve conflict so easily.

What happened when Bonnie was in pain?

A．She called one of her husband's brothers for help to purchase more pain pills.

B．She endured the pain with all the strength herself so as not to bother others.

C．She suffered painfully without painkillers and nobody helped timely.

D．She kept feeling in her heart for the consideration of her husband and the baby.

听力原文： Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1875 and was sent at the age of ten to live in New England, an area which inspired almost all of his poetry. He was educated at Dartmouth College, New England, and Harvard University. He became a schoolmaster for a short time, and then a farm laborer. During this period he wrote poetry but with little recognition. (23) From 1912 to 1915, he lived in New England, where he became friendly with several poets, including Edward Thomas, and published A Boy's Will in 1913 and North of Boston in 1914．In America his poetry was soon admired, and he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize on four occasions between 1924 and 1943．He went on writing throughout his life, publishing Steeple Bush at the age of seventy-two. He died in 1963．(24) Frost's poems are revolutionary because they lack the exaggeration of rhetoric. Many of his lines and sentences are plain and in themselves nothing. But they are bound together and made beautiful by a calm eagerness of emotion. (25) With his close observant eye and touch, we can feel the daily activities of farming and the landscape be it their background—mowing, apple-picking, or mending a wall. These poems reflect a humane quiet concern and satisfaction in their rhythms and their gentle lyricism. Often there is an explicit or near-explicit "moral", though sometimes this is hinted at rather than stated，and frequently there is an almost proverbial tone. We learn to trust Robert Frost. The very lack of glamour or display in his poem gives them a stability and honesty.

23. What do we learn about Robert Frost from the passage?

24.What does the speaker say about Frost's poems?

25.What is described in Frost's poetry according to the passage?

(4)

A．He was born in New England.

B．He once worked for Harvard University.

C．He was Edward Thomas' friend.

D．He wasn't awarded any prize.

Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

Albert Schweitzer was born in 1875 in Alsace. At that time, it was a part of　Germany. His generous spirit was first awakened through his training as a Lutheran minister. Besides gaining a reputation as a preacher, he also became respected for his ability to play the organ. He was a man of many talents. His concern for other people turned his attention to medicine. He had also acquired doctoral degrees in philosophy and music. His wife took an interest in medicine too and became a nurse. Many people thought that he should remain and lecture　in Europe to have a strong impact on Western civilization. Though he listened to their suggestions, he ultimately decided to follow his own conscience. This led him to Africa. Albert had felt that all men should accept the responsibility of helping others. He felt particularly concerned for black Africans who had been exploited by white men. He earned the money he needed by performing on the organ and by lecturing. With this money he bought equipment and opened a hospital in Africa. He was a man of great strength who faced great problems with courage. The threat of war, the reality of imprisonment during World War, one as a German citizen, and the unbearable heat in Africa did not deter him at all. He believed that man could overcome these obstacles if he had a sense of idealism. He died in 1965. 

31.Albert Schweitzer was ____. 

A) a pianist            C) a humanitarian 

B) an African            D) a nurse 

32.He had talents for ____.

A) training his wife to be a nurse, giving concert and lecturing 

B) giving medical care, lecturing, playing the organ

C) taking care of sick people, fighting as a soldier, lecturing 

D) giving concert, making equipment, helping others

33.In spite of people’s suggestions, Albert decided to go to Africa ____.

A) because he was born there

B) because he wanted to help others particularly black Africans who had been exploited by white men

C) because he wanted to give a concert to African people 

D) because he wanted to make money there

34.Why did the author think he was a man of great strength? 

A) He always faced great problems with courage.

B) The threat of war and the reality of imprisonment during World War didn’t discourage him.

C) The unbearable heat in Africa did not deter him at all.

D) All of the above.

35.Albert Schweitzer lived to be ____.

A) 70 years old     B) 80 years old

C) 90 years old       D) 100 years old

6. Jesus' Life Although born in Bethlehem, according to Matthew and Luke, Jesus was a Galilean（加利利人） from Nazareth, a village near Sepphoris, one of the two major cities of Galilee. He was born to Joseph and Mary sometime between 6 BC and shortly before the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC. According to Matthew and Luke, however, Joseph was only legally his father. They report that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived and that she “was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” . Joseph is said to have been a carpenter—that is, a craftsman who worked with his hands—and Jesus also became a carpenter. The Bible states that Jesus as a child was precociously（超前地） learned, but there is no other evidence of his childhood or early life. As a young adult, he went to be baptized（洗礼） by the prophet John the Baptist and shortly thereafter became an itinerant（巡回的） preacher （传道者）and healer. In his mid-30s Jesus had a short public career, lasting perhaps less than one year, during which he attracted considerable attention. Sometime between AD 29 and 33—possibly AD 30—he went to observe Passover（逾越节） in Jerusalem, where his entrance, according to the Gospels, was triumphant and infused with eschatological significance. There he was arrested, tried, and executed. Jesus Christ lived on earth about thirty-three years, and led a most holy life in poverty and suffering. After his death, his disciples became convinced that he still lived and had appeared to them. They converted others to belief in him, which eventually led to a new religion, Christianity. When Jesus lived on earth, he performed many miracles. The gospels describe such miracles: healing the sick, casting out the demons of mental illness from the tormented, and even bringing the dead back to life. Here are some miracles recorded in the Bible. 1. Water into Wine The first miracle that Jesus did was at a wedding feast in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother, Mary, told Jesus that the wedding host was out of wine. Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with water and then when they dipped it out, there was wine in the jars. Jesus had turned the water into wine. 2. Calming the Storm Jesus and his disciples were out on the lake when a storm suddenly came up. Jesus was asleep in the boat and his friends were afraid. They woke him. He got up and told the storm to stop and it was completely calm; the wind stopped blowing and the water was still. His disciples were amazed! "Even the winds and the waves obey Him," they said. 3. Healings There was a man in Jerusalem who had been blind from birth. Jesus put clay on the blind man's eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. When he washed the clay off, he could see. (John 9:1-41) Once in Jerusalem, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus asked Jesus for mercy and healing. Jesus told him that his faith had cured him and the man praised God for his sight. (Mark 10:46-52) Christians believe that through his crucifixion(受难；被钉十字架) and subsequent resurrection, God offered humans salvation and eternal life. 12. The underlined word “resurrection” in the last paragraph means _______.

A、Death.

B、Disappearance.

C、Revival.

D、Redemption.

听力原文： Edgar Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809. His parents were actors. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy business man named John Allen. He then received his new name, Edgar Allen Poe. As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia. He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money. As an unskilled game player, he often lost money. Since he couldn't pay his gambling losses, he left the university and began working for magazines. He worked hard, yet he was not well paid, or well known. At the age of 27, he got married. For a time it seemed that Poe would find happiness, but his wife was sick for most of their marriage, and died in 1847.

Through all his crises, Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications, yet he didn't become famous until 1845, when his poem, The Raven, was published. There is a question, however, about Poe's importance in American Literature. Some critics say Poe was one of America's best writers, and even had a great influence on many French writers. But others disagree. They my Poe's work is difficult to understand and most of his writing de scribes very unpleasant situations and events. Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old. It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.

(33)

A．His father caught a serious disease.

B．His mother passed away.

C．His mother left him to marry a rich businessman.

D．His father took to drinking.

The Ford family came from Ireland to the United States in 1847. Their child Henry was born in 1863. He had an interest in mechanics. He invented a car called the quadricycle which had four wheels. It essentially (实质上) had four bicycle tires and no cab (司机室).

Henry built race cars in the 1890’s and even became a race car driver. But he wanted to build cars for everyone: to use, so he began the Ford Motor Company in 1903. He had formulated (制定) a business motto which would be the reason for his success. "The way to make automobiles is to make one automobile like another automobile, to make them all alike." His company declared that they could make automobiles in any color, as long as it was black.

Henry gave much credit to his wife whom he called "The Believer". From the earliest days of their relationship she was the one who encouraged him to build a horseless carriage. Her belief in him was a constant encouragement to produce what would become tile primary mode of transportation in the future.

Henry's greatest task was to produce a gasoline engine that would be the power for his car. He finally produced so many hours each day that his friends called him crazy Henry. tie was inspired to work until his invention would work effectively.

When he designed the Model T, he decided he could build it cheaply for what he called "the great multitude(批量)." To do this he had to design an assemble line where many cars could be bilt in a single day. Each worker would have only his individual parts to put on each car. Then he could limit himself to the few tools needed for the task.

The Model T was introduced in 1908 and began to be produced on an assembly line in 1913. Henry Ford was the major figure in the auto industry for the next fifteen years.

On May 26, 1927, Henry watched the 15 millionth Model T Ford roll off the assembly tine. He had become the richest man in America. He was able to bring the price low enough so that most Americans could buy his car. This gave every family much independence, for they could move about freely without the aid of others’ transporting them.

Because he did not change his Model T, others began experimenting with different types of cars. However, the Ford Motor Company still exists and all car owners are indebted (受惠于) to the creation of the automobile by Henry Ford.

To make cars, Henry first of all needed ______.

A．his wife’s encouragement

B．a lot of money to buy equipment

C．engineers and technicians

D．to produce a gasoline engine that would be the power for his car

听力原文： Ludwig Beethoven was born in Bonn, in the Rhineland. His father was a professional musician in the Court of The Elector of Cologne; he was often drunk, and he was a hard task-master to his son. Ludwig began learning violin and piano when he was only 5, and by the time he was 8 years old the began giving public concerts. He received very little education apart from music, but he was fortunate in having a good music teacher, the court organist, who recognized his abilities and taught him well. When he was 14, Ludwig was appointed second court organist, a post which gave him some opportunity to travel. He visited Vienna, where Mozart heard him play and said, "Watch that young fellow; he is going to cause a stir in the world." When he was 16 his mother died, and three years later his father was dismissed from his post at Court. Ludwig, with characteristic loyalty and devotion to his family, accepted responsibility both for his father and his two younger brothers.

Throughout his life Beethoven produced numerous musical works. First and foremost, Beethoven was a composer of extended music, that is, long works in several movements. His masterpieces remain the greatest and most personal compositions of one of the world's greatest musical thinkers. No composer has put more of himself into his music; everything he left, from anger to tenderness, from misery to hope is found there.

(33)

A．At five.

B．At six.

C．At eight.

D．At twelve.